Frequently Asked Questions about Step Two

Step 2 it the final step before student teaching and
graduation. It means you have completed
at least 91 semester hours with a minimum 3.0 grade point average (required by
the Pennsylvania Department of Education) and you are ready to student
teach. In order to be cleared for Step
2, you must have earned a “C” or higher in your Liberal Studies math and
science courses and all of your professional education courses. You must have satisfactorily completed your
Step 2 e-portfolio, have current clearances, and you must have passed all of
your subject/grade/discipline specific Praxis or PECT exams. Your program coordinator must recommend you
for Step 2. No requirements will be waived, and
no exceptions will be made.

Please visit the LiveText site to learn about Clearances and Castle
Branch. In
accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and school
districts with whom we partner in
hosting field experiences, the Office of Educator Preparation requires that all candidates
maintain current clearances.

All
candidates (both incoming and current) are required to have a CastleBranch
account for managing your clearances.
The CastleBranch management system will allow you to upload, maintain, and access their clearances from any
electronic device. It is recommended
that all candidates update their clearances by August 15 each
year in preparation for the upcoming
field experience(s).

If
you have an offense on one or more of your clearances, you must report that
offense to the dean’s associate for
Educator Preparation in 104 Stouffer Hall. The offense(s) must be
disclosed by the dean’s associate to a school district prior to securing a
placement.

As of March
2007, the Educator Preparation Office is requiring teacher candidates to have a
TB test on file that is no more than one year old at the time a student
enters Step 1. After that, students must
provide a current TB test prior to each field experience. Students need to be aware that some districts/sites
require a two-step TB test. It will be the student’s responsibility to
comply with the district’s requirement in order to proceed with the placement.

Yes. Proof
of liability insurance (annual update required) can be obtained through a
membership with PSEA or private insurance and must have a minimum of $1,000,000
per claim with an aggregate of $3,000,000 per occurrence if obtained via
private insurance. A membership can be obtained online on the PSEA website.

The
portfolio is an electronic presentation of documents and artifacts created and
compiled by a students to provide evidence that they have met the rigorous
standards and requirements of our teacher preparation programs. The portfolio
is developed and evaluated in LiveText at each of the three stages of IUP’s Three-Step Process. A completed portfolio is a requirement for graduation from
all of IUP’s teacher preparation programs.

All Teacher
Education majors are required to take ACE 103, EDEX 103, or MUSC 240,
which gives you the basics on how to create your electronic portfolio. If you
transferred any of these courses, it is your responsibility to make
arrangements to purchase LiveText and create your e-portfolio. See your
academic advisor or program coordinator who will assist you with finding
support for the process.

General
information such as your contact information, philosophy of education, résumé,
as well as artifacts and descriptions of how you have met the standards
specified for your teacher education program should be included in your
e-portfolio. Your electronic portfolio should be in LiveText and up-to-date
with your application for teacher education (Step 1), and before student
teaching (Step 2). Your course
instructor will evaluate the Step 1 portfolio, and your academic advisor or
program coordinator will evaluate your Step 2 Portfolio in LiveText. For Step 2, it is essential to include
artifacts and reflections that meet the InTASC standards. Your academic advisor
or program coordinator should be able to assist you with questions regarding
the Step 2 e-portfolio submission. Your
Teacher Work Sample will be your Step 3 e-portfolio artifact and will be
evaluated by your student teaching supervisor.

The Praxis
II exams are a standardized test of specialized academic skills. Pennsylvania
has mandated that all applicants for teaching certificates pass the exams. IUP
requires that all education majors pass the exam before being accepted into
Step 2. See the Praxis website for
information about the exams. Students can either register to take the test
online or the paper-based version. The Praxis bulletin is
available at University Testing in 107 Pratt Hall. Praxis II exams are offered at the location you select on your
registration form. A list of the specific dates are provided on the Educational Testing Service website. Tests are traditionally available in January, March,
April, June, August, September, and November. You must register a minimum of four
weeks before the test date.

In order to
prepare for the exams, you can obtain a free study guide “Tests at a Glance”
from the Educational Testing Service website. Second, you are encouraged to try a practice test
available from ETS.

Praxis
II exams may be taken multiple times. However, all Praxis exams must be passed
in order to complete Step 2 and begin student teaching.

PECT exams
are offered at the location you select on your registration form. A list of the
specific dates are provided on the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests website. You must register a minimum of four weeks before the test date.

In order to
prepare for the PECT certification exams, go to the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests website. Select “What tests do I need to take?”, select the
test you need for your specific certification areas, then select the
“Preparation Materials” link in the upper right-hand corner of the page. All
the preparation materials you will need for that particular test are available
on that location.

PECT
exams may be taken multiple times. However, all PECT exams must be passed in
order to complete Step 2 and begin student teaching.

Each
Educator Preparation Program provides for a unique educational experience. Your
program coordinator/supervisor will provide you with the expectations you will
need to follow in order to successfully meet the requirements of your degree
program. During your student teaching experience, you are required to continue
to complete your electronic portfolio (Teacher Work Sample) as part of the
three-step process. Evaluation of the electronic portfolio is completed by your
university supervisor or advisor as determined by your program. Completion
dates will be provided by your supervisor. Successful completion of this step
is required to attain certification. A completed Pennsylvania teacher
certification application should be submitted to the Teacher Education office
near the end of your student teaching experience; applications can only be
submitted the month of your graduation, not sooner. Be sure you submit your
Marketplace application and pay the fees. This application will be sent to the
Pennsylvania Department of Education for processing as soon as your graduation
is verified by your college and the Registrar’s Office; the verification
process could take several weeks after your actual graduation date.

Yes. Students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania who are enrolled as teacher education majors in all certification areas are eligible to participate in this half-semester student teaching program. Students are assigned to a teaching site in the United States for the first half of the semester. The second half of the student teaching experience is completed in an overseas site. The program is designed to provide students with teaching experiences in one of six European countries. Teaching assignments are made for all certification areas.